Before You Buy an AI Toy: 6 Things to Check

If you're comfortable bringing an AI toy home, remember that they don't all work the same way. Ask yourself these six questions as a part of your decision-making process.

• What does your child gain from the AI? Look for AI that gives your child new ways to create, explore, solve problems, or practice a skill. Ask whether AI is helping your child use their own ideas and imagination or doing most of the work for them.
• Is it designed to feel like a friend? Find out whether the toy remembers conversations, asks your child to share personal information, or encourages your child to think of it as a friend. If your child is likely to turn to it for comfort or advice, consider a different type of toy.
• How much information does it collect? Check whether it has a microphone and/or camera, when they're turned on, and whether the company saves recordings or written copies of conversations. Look for toys that collect as little information as possible.
• What happens to that information? Look for a privacy policy that clearly tells you how long the company keeps your child's information, whether it shares the information with anyone else, whether it uses it to train AI, and whether you can delete it.
• What can you control? Look for controls that let you see and delete your child's information and turn off features you don't want them using.
• What happens when a conversation becomes serious? Find out how the AI responds if a child talks about their health, feeling scared or upset, hurting themselves or someone else, or another serious problem. If the company doesn't clearly explain what the toy does in these situations, consider that when deciding whether to buy it.

If you can't easily figure out what a toy collects, remembers, or does when something goes wrong, consider that as part of your decision, too.

If you bring one home

Check the settings before handing the toy over. With younger kids, try it together and see how it responds.

Give kids a few simple rules: 

• Don't tell AI things you want to keep private. 
• Remember that AI isn't a person, even when it sounds like one. 
• If something involves their health or safety, makes them scared or uncomfortable, or they need help with a serious problem, they should talk with a trusted adult, not their AI toy.

With older kids, keep asking about what they're using AI for, not just how much they're using it.

Talk with other people who buy toys for your child

Grandparents, relatives, and friends may see an AI-powered toy and think it would make a great gift without realizing how different it can be from other toys.

Let them know where your family stands, including if you're comfortable with some types of AI toys but not others.

Pause before you buy

Your child is going to grow up with AI. How and when you introduce it is up to you.

You don't need to become an AI expert. Just take a minute before that AI-powered toy goes into your cart. Think about what the AI adds to the experience, what it might learn about your child, and what role it's designed to play in their life.

Then decide whether it's a good fit for your child and your family.